Shen Xian stood at the cliff’s edge bordering the stone forest, his gaze piercing the blood-red mist to fix on a shimmering golden spectacle to the north.

His brow furrowed slightly.

This golden light… doesn’t resemble any ordinary phenomenon. Could an ancient treasure be manifesting?

With a thought, spiritual energy stirred around him. His Profound Heaven Azure Cloud Robe fluttered despite the lack of wind. In a blur, he transformed into a streak of azure light, shooting toward the source of the radiance.

After roughly half a day’s journey, a forest of dazzling light came into view.

The entire woodland was enveloped in a hazy golden halo. Every ancient tree appeared cast from pure gold, with liquid light flowing across the trunks like living veins. Sometimes the light coalesced into profound runes; other times, it scattered into a shower of golden motes.

Even more bizarrely, when the wind blew, the golden leaves emitted crisp, metallic clinking sounds. The light filtering through the canopy cast mottled shadows that writhed on the ground, tracing out ancient array patterns in the soil.

From deep within the forest, blinding flashes erupted intermittently. Each burst illuminated pitch-black vines coiled around the golden trunks—vines covered in barbs dripping with viscous golden sap that corroded the earth into wisps of green smoke.

Most unsettling of all was the colossal tree at the forest’s center. A distorted human face had naturally formed on its trunk, inhaling and exhaling thick golden mist. With each “breath,” the forest’s light brightened and dimmed, pulsing to an ancient rhythm.

This must be the Gilded Forest of the Godfiend Battlefield, Shen Xian realized.

According to the fragmented map from the Burning Heaven Cauldron, this forest lay east of God Burial Valley, roughly three days’ journey away. Unfortunately, the map offered little else.

Hum—

A ripple of spiritual sense emanated from his beast pouch. The Black Mystic Spirit-Seeking Tortoise was awake.

Shen Xian summoned it. “Is there a treasure nearby?”

Although the tortoise needed Purple Immortal Ganoderma to pinpoint locations, it had a keen nose for general treasure auras. Its millstone-sized body hit the ground, beady eyes fixing on the Gilded Forest. The faint glow of the Eight Trigrams flickered on its shell.

Understanding the signal, Shen Xian retrieved one of his two remaining Purple Immortal Ganoderma.

“You’d better find me something good this time,” he warned, recalling the useless bronze compass it had led him to in the ruins.

The tortoise lowered its head submissively.

Shen Xian tossed the herb. The tortoise gulped it down in one bite.

Instantly, its body erupted with dazzling spiritual light. The Eight Trigrams pattern on its shell began to rotate, golden light flowing through the grooves to project a phantom Bagua diagram into the air.

Suddenly, the Li trigram—representing Fire—erupted with intense crimson light. Three solid yang lines burned like threads of flame, tracing a clear path.

A wisp of crimson mist rose from the lines, condensing into a fire talisman shaped like a spreading-winged Vermilion Bird. It hovered three inches above the shell, tail feathers trailing sparks.

Shen Xian raised his right arm, drawing the talisman into his palm with a swirl of spiritual energy.

“Let’s go.”

He recalled the tortoise and entered the forest, guided by the fire bird.

The air inside the Gilded Forest was thick with sharp, metallic energy. Pitch-black vines launched sudden assaults, but Shen Xian neutralized them effortlessly. With his Golden Core perfection and a spirit treasure in hand, ordinary dangers posed no threat.

Still, the eerie atmosphere kept him on high alert.

After passing through seven layers of distorted golden shadows, the view opened up. A clearing revealed a mottled bronze altar. Its surface was scarred by magical bombardments, and several fresh corpses littered the base.

Most shocking was the body of a Divine Machine Sect disciple, chest pierced by a massive claw. Black energy still leaked from the wound.

Someone got here first…

Shen Xian’s gaze sharpened. The defensive formation at the southeast corner of the altar had been violently breached. Shattered array lines spread like a spiderweb, and residual energy fluctuations hinted at a fierce battle not long ago.

The fire talisman suddenly accelerated, flying toward the breach.

A dark, sinister opening appeared in the earth, its depths unknown.

Just as Shen Xian prepared to investigate, a burning heat radiated from his chest. He pulled out the letter Ye Qingxian had left him. The crimson-gold patterns on the paper glowed, and a strand of Divine Phoenix True Fire swirled across its surface.

This aura… is it resonating with her fire?

Shen Xian’s eyes narrowed. Has she been here? Or is she inside right now?

A ripple stirred in his usually calm heart. Seeing the Empress was, after all, part of his reason for entering this battlefield.

He stared at the flickering fire talisman hovering at the entrance. Whether she was there or not, he had to look.

He stored the talisman, transformed into a streak of azure light, and plunged into the dark cave without hesitation.

The moment he entered, crimson arrows shot from the rock walls.

Shen Xian flicked his wrist. The sleeves of his Profound Heaven Azure Cloud Robe expanded into a curtain of azure light, blocking the volley. The arrows struck the screen with metallic clangs before dissolving into foul-smelling blood.

Next, he summoned the Traceless Sword. With a casual swing, a tide of frigid energy swept the walls, freezing the pulsating crimson veins instantly.

He pressed on.

After weathering several more traps and traversing a hundred-zhang passageway, the dangers subsided, revealing a vast cavern.

An underground river rushed through the darkness. On the bank, seven broken bronze pillars stood slanted, their charred surfaces flickering with unextinguished thunder-fire. The ground was a wreck, and the air carried the lingering pressure of a high-level clash.

Divine Phoenix True Fire?

Shen Xian stood by the river, hands clasped behind his back. He sensed the familiar aura clearly now. But with her early Golden Core cultivation, could Ye Qingxian truly have survived a battle that caused this much destruction?

He scanned the silent cavern.

The Void Reflecting Spirit Mirror materialized in his palm. A Nascent Soul-level spiritual sense erupted, surging out like thousands of invisible serpents to probe every corner of the darkness.

Soon, he detected several powerful auras flickering at the river’s source.

Simultaneously, the fire talisman in his hand trembled violently, pointing in the same direction.

Shen Xian stored his treasures and sped along the riverbank, his expression grim.